Self Defense

Watch This 64-Year-Old Grandma Fight Off a Purse Snatcher

The remarkable woman credits strength-training for being able to kick butt and take names

Watch This 64-Year-Old Grandma Fight Off a Purse SnatcherThe remarkable woman credits strength-training for being able to kick butt and take names

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You know that being a good gym goer has a thousand million benefits. You get all fit, you get less stressed, and you feel more balanced, to name a few. But oh! Here’s another perk to add to the list: You could be much better at fighting off robbers.

At least that’s what Shirley Rupp, a 64-year-old real estate agent and grandmother of 6 in Tuscon, Arizona, learned on New Year’s Day. There she was, leaving Subway, just minding her own business, when boom: A thief came and tried to steal her purse. And Rupp was so not having it. She grabbed his jacket and tripped him, leaving him scrambling to get up before he quickly bolted away—dropping her wallet in the process. Check out the surveillance footage below:

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“I work really hard for my money, and you just can’t let people take things away from you, so I didn’t,” Rupp told ABC News very matter-of-factly.

Of course, many safety experts say that you shouldn’t try to fight a robber if he’s armed. But according to the surveillance video, this guy didn’t threaten her with a weapon, so we fully support Rupp’s fight—especially because she credits her time at the gym with being able to do so.

“I attribute handling the situation a bit to my free weights and elliptical-ing,” she says. In fact, she was even in her workout clothes when it all went down.